Beef Short Rib Chili with Beans

During a six month period in 2003, I found myself living as a bachelor in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Our rental broker had assured us that the area was up-and-coming, sandwiched geographically as he described it, “between Park Slope and Bay Ridge.” Those familiar with the area know that this description covers a comically large area of land, which to this day is populated mostly by an enormous Dominican population, sharing elbow room with NYC’s vast “other Chinatown.” I haven’t been back in years, though I doubt that even a decade later, the area could be described as “up and coming.”

Though the area’s diverse food culture is somewhat celebrated now, as a young man in his twenties spending more than half of his income on rent, most of my meals were eaten at home, prepared in a kitchen with half-sized appliances and overrun with mice. These weren’t polite field mice wearing straw hats; these were indestructible, bullet-scarred, Warfarin-huffing Brooklyn mice, that wouldn’t even bother running when I turned on a light, and who would steal my wooden kitchen spoons when I went to sleep at night.

My newfound status as a single person meant that I was no longer burdened by the need to eat a vegetable every day (or take showers, or leave the house), and to save money, I would spend every Saturday standing in my tiny kitchen, drinking beer and cooking massive crocks of chili, that I would then eat for every meal for the rest of the week. Each weekend, I would try adding something new to the cauldron of bubbling tomatoes and spices: a dab of chocolate here, a little coffee there, or a bottle of dark beer (although at the time, I found the beer worked much better when I applied it directly to my stomach).

Chili making is a perfect fit for this kind of dabbling and experimentation with ingredients. Often, it seems like the more stuff that goes in, the better the chili at the end of an afternoon of simmering, or even better still, the next day. A good chili is so much more than mixing a can of tomatoes with some ground beef (and, provided you’re not from Texas, some beans). An amazing chili isn’t cooked, it’s built: Layers of flavor stacking one on top of the next, building complexity and resulting in a thick, spicy, beefy stew that tastes completely different between the time it first hits your lips, and the time you finally swallow a bite. A truly great chili starts with a flavorful cut of beef, whole spices, and as many different varieties of dried whole chiles as you can get your hands on. The recipe below is a good starting place, but it’s not perfect yet. That’s up to you.

As for Jillian? After a Summer of groveling, I managed to win her back, and we haven’t been apart (or been back to Sunset Park) ever since. She’s got me back eating vegetables every day, and she even likes my chili.

Beef Short Rib Chili with BeansMakes a ton of chili

Ingredients:

3 whole dried Ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into chunks

1 whole dried California chile, stemmed, seeded, and torn into chunks

1 whole dried Chipotle chile, stemmed, seeded, and torn into chunks

1-2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 small can tomato paste

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, ground

1 1/2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds, ground

2 whole cloves, ground

1 tablespoon extra-finely ground coffee

1 ounce chopped unsweetened chocolate

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 pounds bone-in beef short rib, silverskin removed and trimmed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 large green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 whole fresh serrano chile, finely chopped

1 (4.5 ounce) can green chiles

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves

2 bay leaves

1/2 bottle stout beer

2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes

2 (14 ounce) can red kidney beans

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Method:

In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine dried chiles and enough chicken stock to cover chiles. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat, cover, and set aside until chiles soften, about ten minutes. Transfer chiles and liquid to blender or bowl of a food processor, and add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, ground spices, coffee, and chocolate. Whir until completely smooth, about two minutes.

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat vegetable oil over high heat. Working in batches, add about half of the short ribs, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate to cool, and repeat with remaining short ribs.

Malcolm Bedell is co-author of the critically acclaimed "Eating in Maine: At Home, On the Town, and On the Road," as well as the junk food blog "Spork & Barrel," and "Brocavore," a blog about food trucks and street food culture. His contributions include Serious Eats, Down East, Eat Rockland, L.A. Weekly, The Guardian, and The Huffington Post and his food truck, "'Wich, Please," was named "Hottest Restaurant in Maine" for 2015 by Eater. Finally, he finds it very silly to be trying to write this in the third person.

How large a dutch oven? It says it makes a ton, but will it fit in my 6 qt or do I need to halve the recipe? As much as I would LOVE to go buy a bigger dutch oven, my poor tiny kitchen just can’t fit anything else.

Malcolm, just discovered you while researching a 30th anniv trip to maine, starting next wk.: boston>portld>east boothbay>bar harbor>blue hill>boston. The first recipe i saw of yours was frijoles charros where you used an alarmingly mote-like amount of cumin (1/2 tsp for a lb of dried beans??! Out loud i asked you, “Are you cuminphobic?” Then I find this chili recipe- which looks absolutely terrific. Complex, deep.And it seems you’re not cuminphobic after all. Whew!
So what i really wanted to tell you is that you will have such better results with cumin (and coriander)if you toast the seeds in a pan (preferably heavy) over medium heat, shaking alot, til they emit their wonderful aroma> 5-10 min. Cool and grind in a coffee grinder.to finest powder possible. Keep in dark place in tightly sealed jar.

congrats on having the sense to move to maine and thx for the great work and fun writing!

I’m not cumin-phobic, but I do think it’s an easy flavor to let overpower the rest of your dish. Toasting cumin or coriander is a wise move; the same really goes for any spice, and also with dried chiles. Taking a second to toast them really wakes them up. Because this dish cooks for such a long time, in order to keep this recipe a little simpler, I pounded and ground the spices raw in a mortar and pestle.

so wanting to make this for sunday. can you please tell me what “a lot” of chili is? serves 6-8 or 10-12 or more? Am making a turkey one as well and don’t want too much. Making 2 chilis recipes for about 15 people.
also, what is the most important aspect of this chili??
and, why isn’t it perfect? can you please expand on what i might need more or less of and how spicy is this particular chili? mild-medium ok but not more than that….

Thanks Malcolm, that’s exactly what I did. Chili turned out good, thick, and with just the right amount of spice. I made a side order of Johnny Cakes as a sweetener to offset the savory flavors. Good Stuff!